friends..........and the pursuit of happiness?

I am not sure if this is the case only with me or if everyone feels the same. I feel i dont have any friends at all. I was watching 'Happiness formula' on BBC .They had some very good results , ofcourse after quite a lot of research. The results appealed to me:

1. The lesser the time u spend in front of television, the happier u wld be. The effect of TV on happiness was very evident in the case of Bhutan where televisions were introduced , the last nation to do so, in 1999. To make the job of a researcher easier , Bhutan govt infact has a gross national measure of happiness. We, it seems, prefer to spend b4 tv bcos its so easy; jus a click and its ther.

2. The program then talked abt ppl being happier when they r with their frnds. very true, aint it. on a lighter but poignant note they said ,'Americans spend more time watching 'friends' than actually being with them.'

I always i had wished i had friends with whom i cld share my interests, go places, explore a lot, spend my liesure with, share my love and understanding. But i have only come to realise such a coterie of ppl with common shared interests is a rarity.

It has been easier to find ppl with whom u can form groups and being together means firing a bunch of cigarates and going out means going out to the pub and talkin means talking abt money or women.

3. Happiness mostly lies in things that we dont have to spend much like spending time with friends, in the park , in the museum ( we tend to mostly visit places for photo's sake).

"According to happiness research, friendship has a much bigger effect on average on happiness than a typical person's income itself.
One economist, Professor Oswald at Warwick University, has a formula to work out how much extra cash we would need to make up for not having friends.
The answer is £50,000. " ( bbcworld.com/happiness)

4. Being richer doesn't mean happier. bcos we always tend to compare ourselves with others.

"Scientists think they know the reason why we do not feel happier despite all the extra money and material things we can buy.
First, it is thought we adapt to pleasure. We go for things which give us short bursts of pleasure whether it is a chocolate bar or buying a new car.
But it quickly wears off.
Second, its thought that we tend to see our life as judged against other people. "

5.Happiness and longevity:

"In one study, the difference was nine years between the happiest group and the unhappiest group, so that's a huge effect.
"Cigarette smoking can knock a few years off your life, three years, if you really smoke a lot, six years.
"So nine years for happiness is a huge effect."

6. Goals and a meaningfullife

"The second vital ingredient is having meaning in life, a belief in something bigger than yourself - from religion, spirituality or a philosophy of life.
The third element is having goals embedded in your long term values that you're working for, but also that you find enjoyable.
Psychologists argue that we need to find fulfilment through having goals that are interesting to work on and which use our strengths and abilities. "